Young campaigners are fighting to save the only night bus route between Croydon and Sutton after it was cancelled last weekend.

Laura Wheeler, 22 and her sister May, 22, fear vulnerable Sutton youths will be forced to take unlicensed cabs or walk home after a night out in Croydon.

The N213, the only night bus running between Croydon and Sutton was cancelled by TfL on July 4 because it says the route is only used “lightly”.

However young people across the boroughs disagree.

Miss Wheeler has set up a facebook group called Save the N213 which in just three days has gathered almost 900 outraged members.

One of the supporters Elena Howe wrote: “Whenever I have got the N213 there have been plenty of people on it!...how do I get home from Croydon early in the morning now?...is there an alternative
means coz on saturday night I was waaaaay confused by it having not been out late in a while and had to walk home!”

Emma Joslin wrote: “this decision may cost me my life, as i never have any money for cabbing at the end of a night, so I'll be walking!!!

Joseph Eastwood wrote: “tried getting home last night and the n213 was nowhere to be seen, what a let down. had to pay out £13 for a cab to sutton. the n213 was a quid on my oyster.”

Some on the facebook group said they had written to Boris Johnson about the bus.

Most of the young people say they will be unable to go out in Croydon if they cannot get the bus back.

Miss Wheeler has contacted her local MP Tom Brake who has said he will approach TfL about the issue.

He said: “I was taken aback by the calls on this issue. I will approach TfL directly.”

Miss Wheeler said: “My sister along with many others regularly get this bus home from Croydon on a Friday or Saturday night.

“I would rather they were on a bus than getting in an unsafe, unlicensed cab.

”There are no other options to get back at all.

“The bus stop is opposite the Black Sheep bar in Croydon and hundreds of young people get the bus from there back home.

“Most of them are quite tipsy. If there is no way home it will discourage people from Sutton going out in Croydon. ”

TfL said they looked into the route and reviewed and it was not very well used between 1am and 4am.

Comments

sicktodeathofsutton
9:34am Tue 7 Jul 09

What is happening in Sutton? Not only massive council cuts but now TFL cuts too. The N213 was used widely and safely by local young people and now loed only knows what will happen. There is constant moaning from some quarters about the young people of today but cutting back on safe travel options is hardly the way to go is it?

What is happening in Sutton? Not only massive council cuts but now TFL cuts too. The N213 was used widely and safely by local young people and now loed only knows what will happen. There is constant moaning from some quarters about the young people of today but cutting back on safe travel options is hardly the way to go is it?sicktodeathofsutton

What is happening in Sutton? Not only massive council cuts but now TFL cuts too. The N213 was used widely and safely by local young people and now loed only knows what will happen. There is constant moaning from some quarters about the young people of today but cutting back on safe travel options is hardly the way to go is it?

Score: 1

little kitten
12:07pm Tue 7 Jul 09

This is dangerous and unfair to the young people of sutton.boris ony cares about his political correct minority issues

This is dangerous and unfair to the young people of sutton.boris ony cares about his political correct minority issues little kitten

This is dangerous and unfair to the young people of sutton.boris ony cares about his political correct minority issues

Score: 0

Libby Ralsuck
12:52pm Tue 7 Jul 09

"vulnerable Sutton youths will be forced to take unlicensed cabs or walk home after a night out in Croydon"
Or they could just catch a licensed cab, get a lift or catch a night bus to London and back again, or how about not going out in Croydon?

"vulnerable Sutton youths will be forced to take unlicensed cabs or walk home after a night out in Croydon"
Or they could just catch a licensed cab, get a lift or catch a night bus to London and back again, or how about not going out in Croydon?Libby Ralsuck

"vulnerable Sutton youths will be forced to take unlicensed cabs or walk home after a night out in Croydon"
Or they could just catch a licensed cab, get a lift or catch a night bus to London and back again, or how about not going out in Croydon?

Score: 0

Angela M
1:05pm Tue 7 Jul 09

"Most of them are quite tipsy. If there is no way home it will discourage people from Sutton going out in Croydon."

And this is a bad thing because...?

Personally I'm very annoyed that whenever I want to get completely off my face in Slough or Feltham, there isn't a direct night bus to ferry my carcass back to my house at 3am. It's just not fair, is it? :D

"Most of them are quite tipsy. If there is no way home it will discourage people from Sutton going out in Croydon."
And this is a bad thing because...?
Personally I'm very annoyed that whenever I want to get completely off my face in Slough or Feltham, there isn't a direct night bus to ferry my carcass back to my house at 3am. It's just not fair, is it? :DAngela M

"Most of them are quite tipsy. If there is no way home it will discourage people from Sutton going out in Croydon."

And this is a bad thing because...?

Personally I'm very annoyed that whenever I want to get completely off my face in Slough or Feltham, there isn't a direct night bus to ferry my carcass back to my house at 3am. It's just not fair, is it? :D

Score: -1

sfocata
2:00am Sat 11 Jul 09

Wow, Libby and Angela, you're a real bundle of fun, aren't you? Slough and Feltham are irrelevant here... Croydon works well as a "big brother" for Sutton, for jobs, nightlife and shopping, so it makes perfect sense to have good transport links. As for the suggestion of licensed cabs, I'm 40 and would rather walk than pay £20 for a rip-off black cab late at night... how, then, do you think a student would feel? This is just part of a general erosion of services... that N213 used to be part of a longer night bus route from central London (there used to be two services to Sutton).

Wow, Libby and Angela, you're a real bundle of fun, aren't you? Slough and Feltham are irrelevant here... Croydon works well as a "big brother" for Sutton, for jobs, nightlife and shopping, so it makes perfect sense to have good transport links. As for the suggestion of licensed cabs, I'm 40 and would rather walk than pay £20 for a rip-off black cab late at night... how, then, do you think a student would feel? This is just part of a general erosion of services... that N213 used to be part of a longer night bus route from central London (there used to be two services to Sutton).sfocata

Wow, Libby and Angela, you're a real bundle of fun, aren't you? Slough and Feltham are irrelevant here... Croydon works well as a "big brother" for Sutton, for jobs, nightlife and shopping, so it makes perfect sense to have good transport links. As for the suggestion of licensed cabs, I'm 40 and would rather walk than pay £20 for a rip-off black cab late at night... how, then, do you think a student would feel? This is just part of a general erosion of services... that N213 used to be part of a longer night bus route from central London (there used to be two services to Sutton).

Score: 1

Superfansam
12:29am Fri 24 Jul 09

Its not only about the people who go out in Croydon. its also about people who go out in Sutton. I go out to both locations. Mostly go to Sutton and if i miss my last bus i have to walk home, this happened the other week. If i want to go to a gig in London or just generally want to go out in London or Kingston I first have the get a nightbus to Sutton but then have no other means of getting home as i live in Carshalton Beeches. I like to go out on Mondays as i'm young and i have a good social life. so if i miss my last bus i have to walk home because i really cant afford cabs and then have less sleep and have to go to work in a worse state. this isn't fair. and I dont think its fair to give up my social life because of this.

Its not only about the people who go out in Croydon. its also about people who go out in Sutton. I go out to both locations. Mostly go to Sutton and if i miss my last bus i have to walk home, this happened the other week. If i want to go to a gig in London or just generally want to go out in London or Kingston I first have the get a nightbus to Sutton but then have no other means of getting home as i live in Carshalton Beeches. I like to go out on Mondays as i'm young and i have a good social life. so if i miss my last bus i have to walk home because i really cant afford cabs and then have less sleep and have to go to work in a worse state. this isn't fair. and I dont think its fair to give up my social life because of this.Superfansam

Its not only about the people who go out in Croydon. its also about people who go out in Sutton. I go out to both locations. Mostly go to Sutton and if i miss my last bus i have to walk home, this happened the other week. If i want to go to a gig in London or just generally want to go out in London or Kingston I first have the get a nightbus to Sutton but then have no other means of getting home as i live in Carshalton Beeches. I like to go out on Mondays as i'm young and i have a good social life. so if i miss my last bus i have to walk home because i really cant afford cabs and then have less sleep and have to go to work in a worse state. this isn't fair. and I dont think its fair to give up my social life because of this.

Score: 1

flibbert
6:10pm Fri 24 Jul 09

Aside from getting to and from Croydon itself, that bus is an important part of the night route between Sutton/Carshalton Beeches and other places in Surrey, as well as Central London. It was a saviour last summer when I had to make late-night journeys from Blackfriars to E Croydon, then go via the N213 to Sutton. I do not know how getting back from London after midnight would be possible otherwise. Taxis are too expensive an option, it cannot be expected of late workers and students to afford £17-20 per frequent journey. Regardless of whether you think it is a priority to enable people to go out late, if there is a high demand for the service that would affect lots of people's safety and wallets if ignored, then it is a priority all the same.

Aside from getting to and from Croydon itself, that bus is an important part of the night route between Sutton/Carshalton Beeches and other places in Surrey, as well as Central London. It was a saviour last summer when I had to make late-night journeys from Blackfriars to E Croydon, then go via the N213 to Sutton. I do not know how getting back from London after midnight would be possible otherwise. Taxis are too expensive an option, it cannot be expected of late workers and students to afford £17-20 per frequent journey. Regardless of whether you think it is a priority to enable people to go out late, if there is a high demand for the service that would affect lots of people's safety and wallets if ignored, then it is a priority all the same.
flibbert

Aside from getting to and from Croydon itself, that bus is an important part of the night route between Sutton/Carshalton Beeches and other places in Surrey, as well as Central London. It was a saviour last summer when I had to make late-night journeys from Blackfriars to E Croydon, then go via the N213 to Sutton. I do not know how getting back from London after midnight would be possible otherwise. Taxis are too expensive an option, it cannot be expected of late workers and students to afford £17-20 per frequent journey. Regardless of whether you think it is a priority to enable people to go out late, if there is a high demand for the service that would affect lots of people's safety and wallets if ignored, then it is a priority all the same.

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